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Saturday, May 7, 2016

What Story Are Your Investments Telling?

By Matt Hall

“I
didn’t really know anything about 401K’s or investing until I got my
first job. And then, you know, it took me a year to even start doing the
maximum matching funds. I mean, growing up, my Dad maybe messed around
on the stock market, but he didn’t really teach me about it. It’s jut
not something I didn’t really ever think about.”

Sound familiar? It’s not a
great investment story, but it is all too common. We can’t all be born
wealthy or with parents who can teach us about investing.

So, what does a good investing story actually look like?

Better investment stories are about freedom, not disillusionment. I’m talking about freedom from daily anxiety about what particular stocks are doing, freedom from ridiculous fees, and building toward financial freedom in retirement.

A better investment story
starts with taking real ownership over your financial decisions and
making it a priority to educate yourself about your options. Then,
understanding that Wall Street does not have your personal best
interests at heart—ever. And finally, learning the wisdom and kickass
power of Index funds because they let you get a piece of the rising
market without all the stress of trying to beat the market. Finally, it
means thinking of investing as a way to give yourself more freedom and
safety for the long term and less anxiety in your day to day.

That’s how I think about
my job. I help people find more freedom, less stress, and create space
to focus on what’s really important in life. I just help them tell that
story financially. So what does your story tell?

Matt Hall is the President and Co-Founder of Hill Investment Group
with offices in St. Louis, MO and Houston, TX. He is the lead on all
strategic matters — crafting the firm’s vision, establishing its
exceptional standards, and managing key relationships. Hall is forever a
student of his craft and has attended the highest level of training and
education tied to investment theory and practice. What's more, Hall has
led many training programs for top advisors, and founded a peer group
of hundreds of advisors, called Evidence-Based Advisors, from the U.S.,
UK, New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, and Canada.

Hall graduated
from the University of Missouri, Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in
English literature. He and his wife, Lisa, have a young daughter who is
the star of their lives.